How long does it take to write a decent post?

Today, I posted a quick comment on a recent wireless security news story, 11 charged with massive ID theft, on my blog, Secure My Wireless. Not counting the time it took me to browse the paper to stumble across the story, it took me just about 15 minutes to post. This included:

1. Writing a brief summary of the story & commenting on the most important points (from my perspective).
2. Adding some quotes from the article.
3. Posting.
4. Final formatting and proofing.

I can't imagine taking any less time to post anything of value. Based on this sample of one, it looks like I need, at minimum, 20 minutes to post an article, including the time to identify a topic. Now, the question is, what's the longest it should take?

Quick quality posts

What makes a useful, valuable post that increases traffic, SEO, and brings in readers? High-density posts: a short, pointed, link-rich blog post. A high density post is:

• To the point, and brief.
• Filled with relevant links to other sites and (best) other posts in your blog.
• Focused.

Good hyperlinks are:

• Descriptive.
• Relevant.

Great hyperlinks include title tags. I think it's better to link out to another post in your blog, instead of combining the two into a longer post.

• You will write tighter, more focused posts.
• Traffic to one will boost the other, linked posts.
• Search engines love interior links.

Blog Writing Software for the Mac

These are some of the Mac blog clients, or editors, I've tried. A good blog client lets you:

• Blog without a live Internet connection.
• Work with your favorite browser to capture pages you've visited quickly.
• Publish and retrieve your blog posts from the program.

Visit the sites, and read my reviews below.

• MacJournal ($35)
• MarsEdit ($30)
• ecto ($18)

MacJournal
I started using this as my preferred writing tool, instead of Word or another bloated word processor. I really like full screen editing. I can drag a URL from my browser's address bar and MacJournal displays the page title with a link to the URL. This is my favorite feature when I'm surfing. I like the WYSIWYG editor, too.
Its ability to publish and edit blog posts off line are a plus, making it a legitimate blog editor. Plus, it supports tags for your posts. On the downside, the post downloader isn't completely reliable, so it's really just a good place to start blog posts. I find myself always having to put the finishing touches on the posts using the blog's on-line tools.

MarsEdit
A cross-platform commercial program, this software excels at getting the latest version of your blog, but the editor is text only: great if you use a text markup dialect like Markdown.

ecto
I like the editor more than MarsEdit, that's for sure. It's got a great WYSIWYG editor, and you can toggle to HTML -- that rocks. Plus, I can drag links in from the browser address bar. Very nice.illumineX :: ecto - blog editor for Mac OS X

Blogger.com Custom Code Installation (Google Analytics)

The ability to install custom code in your blog template is one of Blogger.com’ most powerful features, and it’s part of the free account. The problem is that your customizations may be lost if you switch templates. Google Analytics is the most common code modification I make to my blog templates, and it’s a great example of how to edit a template. Follow these steps to install Google Analytics in your Blogger.com template:

1. Log in to your Blogger: Dashboard and select the Layout link for the blog you want to modify.
2. First, back up your existing template -- very important! Go to the Layout | Edit HTML tab; select the link to Download Full Template.
3. Find the location to insert the code modification. For Google Analytics, this is right before the /body tag.
4. If you need to add the custom code, paste it.
5. When you’ve completed your modifications, click [Save Template]

Blogger.com: Change Templates

If you can change your Blogger.com template quickly and reliably, you can try a different look and test it against various design approaches. Here’s how to change a modified Blogger.com template reliably and quickly:

1. Log in to your Blogger: Dashboard and select the Layout link for the blog you want to modify.
2. Follow these instructions: How do I switch my template to another provided by Blogger?

Tips

• Do this first: “Before switching to a new template, it's a good idea to back up your current one (if you've made changes to it). Go to the Layout | Edit HTML tab, and copy and paste the template code to a text file on your computer”
• If you’ve installed any custom code, especially Google Analytics, run through the Blogger.com Custom Code Installation (Google Analytics)
• If you’ve changed the template, be sure to match the color of the Navbar on Blogger.com. What is the Navbar?

Created: July 13, 2008 11:44 PM First Posted: July 13, 2008 11:54 PM

Adding Amazon Text Links

One of the best places to start generating revenue with your Amazon Associates affiliates program is to add simple Amazon Product Text Links to your blog.

To add an Amazon text link for a product you’ve blogged about,

1. Find the product you want to sell on your blog in Amazon.
2. Copy the URL from the address bar for the corresponding Amazon page.
3. Paste it into the Enter the URL field in the Link to Any Page at Amazon.com section on the Text Links page (Build Links/Widgets > Classic Links; Text Links)
4. Type a descriptive name of the product in the Name Your Link field. For example, type the title of a book here.
5. Click the [Get HTML] button.
6. Click on the [Highlight HTML] button and copy the selected text.
7. Paste the code into the HTML editor for a post on your blog or web site.
8. Save & publish the updated posting.

Now, all you need is traffic, traffic, traffic. Well, qualified traffic of interested buyers.

Selling: Amazon Associates

One of the quickest ways to turn traffic into revenue is to join an affiliate program, where you earn essentially a sales commission by referring customers. You get paid when someone makes a purchase, so everyone comes out ahead. Amazon.com Associates program is a good place to start:

• They offer a sliding scale of commissions, depending on volume.
• They will handle all the tracking, purchase, and fulfillment.
• They sell practically everything.

Read About.com's Review of the Amazon Associates Affiliate Advertising Program for another perspective. To start selling as an Amazon.com Associates - join at Amazon.com Associates Central (secure). Under Account Settings,

• Set up your Payee information. I recommend direct deposit.
• Select a fee structure, Classic or Performance.

Then, start by adding Text Links.

It’s a good idea to read and understand the Amazon.com Operating Agreement so you don’t make any mistakes that can jeopardize your revenue. Also, the Agreement describes ways you can sell Amazon products, including:

• Special (Product Text Links) links
• Search box link
• General link to Amazon
• Car Link
• Easy Link
• Search Results link
• Any Page link
• aStore by Amazon Link
• Omakase Link
• Context Links
• Quick Linker Links
• Your Video Widget Links
• Preview Player Link

Tips

• Read the Agreement so you understand how you will make money.
• Only add one type of Amazon link at a time to your blog. Test to see how this works, and track it against your best keywords and traffic patterns.

This whole process of setting up the account takes about a half hour, not including the time it takes to read the agreement.